U.S. Sent Seoul Justification of Missile Shield Plan

Documents explaining the missile-defense shield the Bush administration is pursuing were delivered on July 11 by the U.S. Embassy to the South Korean government, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Thursday.

Similar papers were reportedly distributed by U.S. embassies throughout the world as Washington courted support from other governments before last Saturday's missile interceptor test.

The documents outline the main principles of the defense program, the effects it would have on the Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 and alleged misconceptions about the shield. It particularly accentuates the perceived imminent missile threat posed by so-called "rogue states." The documents say North Korea is developing the Taepodong 2 missile, which will have a longer range and greater warhead capacity than its predecessor, Taepodong 1.

The documents also presented a justification for U.S. withdrawal from the Antiballistic Missile Treaty. They said the treaty said would not allow the interception with airborne lasers, part of a multi-tiered tactical missile defense network, of such short-range missiles as the North Korean Rodong.

Experts said the United States was likely to build an air and maritime missile defense shield around the Korean peninsula, because practical results can be had with existing military technology. In case of a maritime shield, Washington is already pursuing the deployment of 30 SM-2 Block 4 interceptor missiles on two Aegis-class destroyers in the sea 20 to 50 kilometers from North Korea.

However, their deployment would mandate prior consultation with Russia for the abolition or amendment of the 1972 treaty, as Aegis-class destroyers can track long-range missiles, such as the Taepodong, unlike the Airborne Laser that counter short-range missiles.

Whether South Korea will participate in the buildup of a missile shield around the Korean Peninsula is still questionable, experts said. To do so would impair relations with China, Russia and North Korea. But whether it can ignore a major program that a crucial ally is proposing is not certain either.

by Oh Young-hwan